From merope@Radix.Net Mon Apr 24 19:56:17 2000 Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000 19:56:14 -0400 (EDT) From: merope Reply-To: merope To: Daily Board Show Subject: Daily Board Show Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: Crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside...its Your Daily Board Show! *warning* contains editorial content. Read at your own risk! Monday 24 April 2000: Regarding the seating of a Census Project representative, Pam Reid asks "Isn't it time we moved along on this so that we can get to Motion 00-6?" [Well, there is that pesky Motion 00-9 that is still on the floor...] Pam replies to her own email, asking "Is Motion 00-6 a dead issue now? Did Tim's Exec. action kill 00-6?" She then notes that if Motion 00-6 is dead, then the Board needs to vote on Motion 00-9 and move on. In her opinion, "the Archives issue MUST be resolved...we need to make this an immediate priority, whatever it takes. The situation...is getting worse every day." [Not _every_ day. Only those days that Our Esteemed NC decides to "fix" things.] Shari Handley agrees with Pam and suggests it might be best if a motion were made "to immediately hold a vote to fill the seat with one of the candidates whose names have already been put forth." === "It behooves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case of others; or their case may, by change of circumstances, become his own." ---Thomas Jefferson This has been your Daily Board Show. -Teresa Lindquist merope@radix.net ------- Daily Board Show, (c) 2000 by Teresa Lindquist, all rights reserved. From merope@Radix.Net Tue Apr 25 15:33:13 2000 Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 15:32:17 -0400 (EDT) From: merope Reply-To: merope To: Daily Board Show Subject: Daily Board Show Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: O X-Status: Film at eleven...its Your Daily Board Show! *warning* contains editorial content. Read at your own risk! Monday 24 April 2000: Tim Stowell opens the vote on Motion 000-9. He once again notes that any votes accompanied by commentary will be discarded, but Board members can send their comments in a separate message. A 2/3 majority is required to pass Motion 00-9. By press time, one Board member had voted "yes". Our Esteemed National Coordinator cc's to the Board a letter also sent to CONFERENCE-L in which he responds to some concerns expressed by Ron Eason, national coordinator of the Census Project. Tim implies that the CP wasn't given 72 hours notice prior to the delinking because they have been asked for months "to make the changes to your pages that would stop the copyright violation." He also says that the ACP is the "Original Census Project" and that the CP is "incorrectly named in the Bylaws." He also claims that "While the CP has some new files in it - it does have files pirated from the Archives." [Someone really ought to ask him to document this point]. Tim reminds Ron that the ACP did agree to let the merged project keep the name USGW Census Project and to separate directories for census transcriptions that would not be under Archives control. He asks Ron for a list of things the CP desires in a merger and the things it will give up in concession. Tim also says "the Special Projects are not like State Projects. Texas isn't responsible for Idaho records nor is Idaho responsible for Delaware records. Each state is responsible for it's own records. The Special Projects named in the Bylaws being National in scope are handled in a different way." [This was in response to a statement Ron made about the bylaws and the "identity and legality" of the Census Project; Tim's statement has nothing apparently to do with Ron's. It does, however, represent an interesting departure from the standard line that the bylaws treat the SPs similar to states and thus the SPs have the same rights and responsibilities as the states.] Tim also notes "Either the files from census transcriptions at a national level will go into the Archives - or it won't be a national effort...The census transcriptions were started so that ALL such transcriptions would go into our national digital library." Finally, Tim tells Ron that "delinking for copyright violation is not unwarranted" and asks why the CP didn't just fix the copyright violations and ask to be relinked. === Maggie Speaks Corner: Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman, leader of the Archives Census Project, has finally broken her long silence on CONFERENCE-L. She says, basically, that she hasn't seen any messages from Ron Eason that require an answer nor has she seen evidence that he is "agreeable to a merger." She notes that although there are numerous attempt to either negotiate or force a merger, she doesn't think any of them will work, stating, "Any serious merger negotiation needs to be directly between myself and Ron, since past efforts to negotiate with others were fruitless. I believe a more private forum is necessary for dialogue between myself and Ron, because too many other participants and issues only cause confusion and misunderstandings." She also notes that Ron appears unwilling to step down as coordinator of the CP [which position he was elected to by its members]; however, if he were willing, she could not at this time identify anyone that would be acceptable to all project members. A co-directorship, she notes "is a nice idea, but the hierarchial structure of password-assignment seems to suggest that only one person can be "at the top." But Co-Directors would certainly have to trust and respect one another." She claims that John Schunk's proposal represented a greater risk to the Archives than to the CP, since "Nobody stays in a position forever, and if I were to resign (or be ousted by CP personnel), there would remain an autonomous CP with a potentially Archives-unfriendly new Coordinator." Maggie suggests a signed agreement bwtween the USGenWeb Project, the USGenWeb Project, and the USGenWeb Archives Project, Tim Stowell, Ron Eason, Maggie respectively serving as signatories. Maggie's vision of the Census Project is as follows: "1. My Vision of Census Project A liason that is a conduit for communication and facilitates the smooth operation of the entire Census Project. The person acts as an ombudsman to mediate any of the bumps in the road that are sure to occur especially in the transition to assist in mediating. A. USGW Census Project does the recruitment for transcripton...Once the transcriptions are complete (this includes work in sections within a county, such as by townships, ED's etc.) they are turned over to the Archives Census Project for formatting and storage. B. USGW Archives Census Project does the file formatting and storage in the Archives.... [Both of these would retain their pages and logos] This would be a "Working Together" of both projects. The volunteers could be absorbed into the appropriate project. 2. What happens with the Delinking of the USGW Census Project and the issues surrounding this action are up to the Advisory Board of the USGenWeb Project as is the filling of the Census Project representative seat. The copyright infringement issues regarding the web pages should be addressed with Holly Timm. 3. A blurb on the "front page" of both project's web sites appraising everyone about the division of responsibilities between the two projects. 4. A copy of this agreement to be distributed to every transcriber and all other Census Project and Archives Census Project personnel in the USGenWeb Project and posted on the public USGW lists (SC, -ALL, -cc, regionals)." Maggie is also serving as a conduit for Linda Lewis to post to CONFERENCE-L, although Linda is no longer subbed there [having stomped off in a huff sometime last week]. Linda says that "we" [presumably meaning she and Maggie or the Archives/ACP] never "suggested that the census project cease to be called a "special" project. We've never suggested that census project lose any identity. What I *am* most certainly concerned about, is making sure in the future that the census project cannot be ripped away like it was, from its home. If someone can calculatingly move it from under the USGenWeb Archives umbrella, they can calculatingly move it to another project entirely. I wouldn't doubt if some other projects aren't already courting Ron, and the CP folks, to gain control of it." [So the issue really who is who controls the CP and its data.] === "Two farmers each claimed to own a certain cow. While one pulled on its head and the other pulled on its tail, the cow was milked by a lawyer." ---Jewish parable This has been your Daily Board Show. -Teresa Lindquist merope@radix.net ------- Daily Board Show, (c) 2000 by Teresa Lindquist, all rights reserved. From merope@Radix.Net Wed Apr 26 13:40:44 2000 Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 13:40:29 -0400 (EDT) From: merope Reply-To: merope To: Daily Board Show Subject: Daily Board Show Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: O X-Status: [For those of you that have asked, ListBot is still reporting severe delivery delays, thus I am continuing to distribute the DBS via email. I am also delivering a copy to the list so that it will be archived at ListBot, which is why you will eventually get this twice.] --- With all due respect...its Your Daily Board Show! *warning* contains editorial content. Read at your own risk! Tuesday 25 April 2000: Voting continues on Motion 00-9, to "ratify the National Coordinator's delinking of the Census Project". Thus far, 3 Board members have voted "yes" and 3 have voted "no". === Sauce For the Goose Corner: We hear that the NC and the Board are getting a bit of mail these days from unhappy Census Project transcribers who have not only found their transcriptions in the Archives but found that they have been altered to show they were transcribed for "the USGenWeb Archives Census Project." At least one of the aggrieved parties is threatening to notify not only the management of Root$web, but also the local genealogy and historical societies for whom the work was originally done and whom have not given their permission for the work to be placed in the Archives. Since these transcribers did not donate their work to the ACP [it instead harvested by the Archives, which runs a mirror of the CP site without the CP's permission] and they are now demanding that it be removed from the Archives, the Archives is apparently in violation of their copyright. We wait with bated breath for the imminent delinking of the ACP and the Archives over this very serious breach of USGW policy. Helping Those Who Help Themselves Corner: The Archives and its coordinator have a rather extensive history of acquiring files in interesting ways. In Aug 1998, for example, Linda Lewis copied several sets of files from the the KSGenWeb Digital Library without their owners' permission (this author's among them), and placed them into the USGW Archives. In July 1999 she apparently instructed Maggie Stewart Zimmerman to repost under another name several files that a submitter had insisted be removed. And back in November 1998, the VAGenWeb Archives was formally threatened with legal action for copying work from the "Valley of the Shadow Project" of the University of Virginia and placing it into the USGW Archives. An excerpt of the letter from William G. Thomas, Director of the Virginia Center for Digital History, from Nov 10 1998, reads: "I am writing to inform you that your VAGenWeb files on Augusta county are in violation of U.S. copyright law. The files are clearly those of the Valley of the Shadow Project at the University of Virginia, ...transcibed by the Valley Project staff in 1991-96 as a part of the project work comparing Augusta County, Va., with Franklin Co., Pa., in the era of the Civil War. The structure of the data and some of the data itself make clear that it came from the Valley of the Shadow Project. Your wonton [sic] violation of copyright is remarkable and deplorable. We will protect firmly our ownership rights to this material and have contacted our attorneys regarding your violation." === "The law doth punish man or woman, That steals the goose from off the common, But lets the greater felon loose, That steals the common from the goose." ---proverb, origin unknown This has been your Daily Board Show. -Teresa Lindquist merope@radix.net ------- Daily Board Show, (c) 2000 by Teresa Lindquist, all rights reserved. From merope@Radix.Net Thu Apr 27 08:52:18 2000 Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2000 08:52:16 -0400 (EDT) From: merope Reply-To: merope To: Daily Board Show Subject: Daily Board Show Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: O X-Status: Take a number and get in line...its Your Daily Board Show! *warning* contains editorial content. Read at your own risk! Wednesday 26 April 2000-Thursday 27 April 2000: Voting continues on Motion 00-9. Thus far, 4 Board members have voted "yes", five have voted "no" and one has abstained. [The final two votes, the abstention and a no vote were posted well after the close of the usual 48 hour voting window. Tim, for some reason, did not call the vote in 48 hours; if he had, no quorum would have been obtained. If he is consistent he will throw out the last two votes and there will have been no quorum, but we shall see.] === Point/Counterpoint Corner: The airing of grievances between the two census projects marches on and is spreading into new forums. More transcribers have written to the Board demanding that their files be removed from the Archives Census Project. At least one of them has addressed the Board as the "Archives Advisory Board." At least one State Coordinator has felt compelled to disassociate his state organization entirely from the actions of Our Esteemed National Coordinator and the Board, since complainants have also directed their dismay at state level officers. Joy Fisher, writing on CONFERENCE-L, has made the point that should the CP alter or move its files it will change the date stamp, and she insists "The Census Project must leave a copy of the files in the directories they now reside in to protect the transcribers. The directories can have their permissions changed to prevent others from viewing the files, but as I see it, they need to remain." [Sounds like they are getting desperate over at the Archives to find some way to retain access to these files. I've never known them to be so picky over dates before.] What All the Fuss Is About Corner: The CP transcribers who are requesting that their files be removed from the Archives are mainly upset over the wholesale alteration of the copyright statement on the ACP mirror version of their files. Apparently, some files are being altered by the ACP file managers to imply that the transcription was done for the ACP and to provide an "Archives Census Project" permission statement rather than the standard USGW one. An example of an altered copyright statement follows [altered information is in brackets; names and locations were removed]: "This Slave Schedule was transcribed by TRANSCRIBER'S NAME and proofread by PROOFREADERS NAME for the USGenWeb [Archives] Census Project http://www.rootsweb.com/[~usgenweb]/census. Copyright (c) 2000 by TRANSCRIBER'S NAME ************************************************************************ USGENWEB [ARCHIVES CENSUS PROJECT] NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. [The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access.] [http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/] ************************************************************************ " The Concerned Citizen who forwarded the above example has also sent me a list of 95 files found in the ACP directories that apparently had this change made on March 31 or April 1 of this year. This documentation represents what they have found to date and is not exhaustive. And particularly interesting is that some of the files involved were submitted by Kay Mason. For an example compare the file found at: ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/census/fl/leon/1850/pg0036a.txt [ACP version, dated 1 Apr 2000] to the one found at: ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/census/fl/leon/1850/pg0036a.txt [CP version, dated 1 Oct 1999] [If anyone wants to see the full list of altered files, just ask] Yet Another Concerned Citizen has compared three versions of the same file found at different places within the various USGW Special Projects: 1. ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/census/ms/kemper/1850/sl00001.txt [CP file dated 12/15/99, 99666 bytes] 2. http://c-23.rootsweb.com/usgenweb/archives/ms/kemper/census/1850/sl00001.txt [CP file dated 12/27/99, 96584 bytes] 3. http://c-23.rootsweb.com/usgenweb/archives/census/ms/kemper/1850/sl00001.txt [ACP file dated 03/31/00, 96777 bytes] The only difference between files 1 and 2 appears to be minor formatting that resulted in a decrease in bytes only; there were no changes in the text. Files 2 and 3 differ in two respects: A) for whom the census was transcribed [Files 1 and 2 were transcribed "for the USGenWeb Census Project http://www.usgenweb.org/census"; File 3 was transcribed "for the USGenWeb Archives Census Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/census"; submitter names and other info remain the same]; and B) the permission language [Files 1 and 2 both contain the standard USGenWeb Notice; file 3 has the Archives Census Project notice given above]. Apparently the practice of altering files obtained from the CP is quite widespread. [Thanks to our readers to sending this information along]. The Shape of Things To Come Corner: This URL has been making the rounds lately; I have no idea whether or not it is serious: http://www.geocities.com/ncdelink/index.html === "A man may see how this world goes with no eyes. Look with thine ears: see how yond justice rails upon yond simple thief. Hark, in thine ear: change places; and, handy-dandy, which is the justice, which is the thief?" ---William Shakespeare, "King Lear" This has been your Daily Board Show. -Teresa Lindquist merope@radix.net ------ Daily Board Show, (c) 2000 by Teresa Lindquist, all rights reserved. From merope@Radix.Net Fri Apr 28 08:03:14 2000 Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2000 08:03:12 -0400 (EDT) From: merope Reply-To: merope To: Daily Board Show Subject: Daily Board Show Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: Watch your back!...its Your Daily Board Show! *warning* contains editorial content. Read at your own risk! Friday 28 April 2000: Our Esteemed National Coordinator declared Motion 00-9 failed due to lack of a quorum. During the 48 hour voting window, 4 Board members voted yes, four voted no and seven failed to vote. After the 48 hour window, one additional member voted no and one abstained. [We have an interesting situation. The Board has both failed to overturn and failed to ratify the NC's illegal action. Although some CCs have already asked if this most recent non-action means the NC will relink the CP, I wouldn't bet on it.] === Credit Where Credit Is Due Corner: From an anonymous reader: "I looked through the 10 files that are listed on the apr24.htm newsletter and 8 of the files were transcribed, submitted, and processed for uploading through the Census Project not the Archives. This is consistent for all of their newsletters that have listed the Census Additions/Updates. The vast majority of the transcriptions on their lists are those processed by the Census Project, but they list them to make it look like they have been processed by the Archives. And this same thing follows through on their State Census Status web-pages with the ACP buttons that should be CP buttons. The Archives Census Project takes the credit for the hard work that is being done by the Census Project volunteers." The newsletter referenced above is the Archives Newsletter and can be found at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/newsletter/2000/apr/apr24c.htm Although the newsletter does list them as "USGenWeb Archives Census Project Census Additions/Updates", they do not seem to have been altered in the manner of the files reported yesterday [showing submission to the ACP and using the ACP copyright/permission statement]. === "Giving money and power to the government is like giving car keys and whisky to teenage boys." ---P.J. O'Rourke This has been your Daily Board Show. -Teresa Lindquist merope@radix.net ------- Daily Board Show, (c) 2000 by Teresa Lindquist, all rights reserved. From merope@Radix.Net Sat Apr 29 16:13:04 2000 Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 16:13:03 -0400 (EDT) From: merope To: Daily Board Show Subject: News Flash! Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: This just came over the wire, from Ron Eason, coordinator of the Census Project. It is addressed to Tim Stowell, but was cc'd to a very wide variety of sources, including all the Board members, the USGw-CC list, USGENWEB-ALL, various project members, Linda Lewis, and Brian Leverich. -Teresa ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 11:51:32 -0400 From: Ron & Kathy Subject: New Lockout Tim Stowell I want to make this short but sweet. We have now been locked out of our directory from the main home page level through the state pages and other levels to where we can't do button updates or other maintenance that needs to be done. Having just regained access to our pages, while doing regular button updates and maintenance we have found ourselves locked out and have no access to our pages. We can only summise that these are Rootsweb employees, or Tim Stowell or Linda Lewis who are the assumed holders of the passwords for these directories other than ourselves. Sometime after 11:00 pm on 4/28/00, one of these people changed the passwords for our particular directory level in effect locking us out. Due to the continuing problems pertaining to our directories, our pages and our files, we find ourselves in a situation where we cannot trust the Server, the Board, or the Archives and that due to this action whether intended or unintended, we must vacate the premises on Rootsweb due to security reasons and will be relocating to a new server. This move will be made this weekend and we will hopefully have all pages and files uploaded to the new server by Sunday night. The new address will be submitted to each of the lists and addresses so that the good people who use these pages will still find the same project in the new location safe from the hands of outsiders who obviously don't care. Thanks, Ron From merope@Radix.Net Sun Apr 30 08:22:16 2000 Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2000 08:21:56 -0400 (EDT) From: merope Reply-To: merope To: Daily Board Show Subject: Daily Board Show Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: Honor among thieves...its Your Daily Board Show! *warning* contains editorial content. Read at your own risk! Saturday 29 Apr 2000: A quiet day in Board-land; there was no Board-L traffic on this date. === Prodigal Son Corner: Our Tim is at it again. Following the announcement yesterday by the USGenWeb Census Project that it will be moving its files to a new server, Tim Stowell has effectively decided that leaving RW is equivalent to leaving the USGW and has ordered the CP to cease and desist using the USGW name and logo. Ron Eason's letter to Our Esteemed National Coordinator mentioned only that the CP would be leaving Root$web for security reasons, following a change in their passwords that denied them access to their directories. At least is some part their decisin was precipated by this occurrence [sent in by a CP member]: "Someone altered the West Virginia State Assignment Status web page last night. All of the files in the states subfolder are time stamped 20000428 22:43. The only one I can find so far that looks like it has been altered is the West Virginia file at: http://www.usgenweb.org/census/states/westvirg.htm Someone added "Archive" in the line, and "Archives" in the line above my name. The file is now write protected and I cannot change it." [Please check out this url. This page has the standard blue CP background and CP logo. But at the top of the page, someone has changed the title to read "USGW Archives Census Project" and had altered the page to make it appear as if Connie Burkett is the USGW Archives Census Project coordinator for West Virginia. They cannot now change it back, since they cannot write to the directories any more.] In a rebuttal letter, Tim Stowell noted that the CP's passwords were not changed, and "What was removed, were write privileges to the national directory, after a Board member questioned why you had access to the national usgw account. No other special project had such access." He also notes that the CP has continued access to its directories at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgwcens/ and all CP pages are still viewable. Tim tells Ron that the census files were submitted via the CP to the USGW Project and to the USGW Archives and asks if he has the permission of every submitter to move the files. [He doesn't neet it. He is not removing the files from the USGW Project. He's moving them onto another server.] Tim also states, "Since you are leaving - and are no longer part of the USGenWeb Project - please remove our name and logos from your pages." [This is a new one. Changing servers is cause for dismissal from the Project?] Some reactions to recent events from Project members: "I have seldom seen such a determined effort to rout such a large group of volunteers from this project. Where in Ron's message does it say that the USGenWeb Census Project is leaving USGW? They are changing servers, which I might say is entirely thanks to you and your unwarranted meddling. You, and this Board, are charged with working for the best interests of ALL the volunteers of the USGW Project. Not exactly what's happening is it?" ---Ginger Hayes, USGENWEB-ALL "IMO, Ron is just exercising his right as the elected coordinator of the USGenWeb Census Project in putting OUR pages on a server, of his choice, and announcing this fact to US and letting us know why the pages are going to be moved." ---Debi Kendrick, USGENWEB-ALL "Does this mean that *EVERY* USGenWeb Project *MUST* be housed at RootsWeb? If so, when was this decision made, and who made it? When was it voted on? When did the USGenWeb Census Project cease to be a part of the USGenWeb? When it was delinked? Submissions have been made to the USGenWeb Census Project, NOT the USGenWeb Archives Census Project. Does the USGenWeb Archives Project intend to get permission from each and every submitter of their data to be placed into the Archives project?" ---Connie Bates, USGW-CC-L "I wish you well. My advice to you is that in the future, it would be better to make sure you have all the facts right before you act as both judge and jury...It is difficult for me to believe you would be lock out of your own web page. You think you were locked out of all four directories?" ---David Young, USGENWEB-ALL "Who changed the write privileges at 22:43 (pm) April 28?...And somebody at that time ***ALTERED*** West Virginia's title page. Not Connie Burkett, since she couldn't get in (it's HER STATE) because the userid and password were altered. And my personal reply to your DICTATORIAL demand on leaving - I will take MY county projects of your grabbing hands if you insist on kicking the Census Project out of the USGenWeb Project, since a good number of County Coordinators are also Census transcribers!!!!" ---W. David Samuelsen, USGENWEB-ALL "Doesn't the CP Cooridinator have the right to use whatever server he wishes to store the census files in? Is there something in the bylaws which says the CP MUST stay on RW???...When a person submits their file to the USGW Census Project, I doubt very much they ask what server the file is being maintained on. Since I do not see Ron say he is quitting the USGenWeb, only RW, the files are still part a of the USGenWeb." ---Debi Kendrick, USGENWEB-ALL Growing Pains Corner: The WYGenWeb has recently elected a new SC and ASC. They are Carol Haagensen [SC] and Suzanne Leonard [ASC], both of whom have been serving as "acting" in their respective positions for some time. Congrats to both! === Today's quote is from a reader: "I have stated that an opposition by force of arms to the lawful authority of the King or his Ministry is high treason, but in the moment when the King, or his Ministers, shall exceed the authority vested in them by the Constitution submission to their mandate becomes treason." ---Chief Justice Chew, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1776 This has been your Daily Board Show. -Teresa Lindquist merope@radix.net ------- Daily Board Show, (c) 2000 by Teresa Lindquist, all rights reserved.